Holy Motors (2012)

From dawn to dusk, a few hours in the shadowy life of Monsieur Oscar...

Director:

Leos Carax

Writer:

Leos Carax (screenplay)

Stars:

Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes

20 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denis Lavant	...	M. Oscar / Le Banquier / La Mendiante / L'OS de Motion-Capture / M. Merde / Le Père / L'Accordéoniste / Le Tueur / Le Tué / Le Mourant / L'Homme au Foyer
Edith Scob	...	Céline (as Édith Scob)
Eva Mendes	...	Kay M
Kylie Minogue	...	Eva Grace (Jean)
Elise Lhomeau	...	Léa (Elise)
Jeanne Disson	...	Angèle
Michel Piccoli	...	L'Homme à la tache de vin
Leos Carax	...	Le Dormeur / Voix Limousine (as LC)
Nastya Golubeva Carax	...	La Petite Fille
Reda Oumouzoune	...	L'Acrobate Mo-Cap
Zlata	...	La Cyber-Femme
Geoffrey Carey	...	Le Photographe / Voix Limousine
Annabelle Dexter-Jones	...	L'assistante photographe
Elise Caron
Corinne Yam

Storyline

From dawn to dusk, a few hours in the shadowy life of Monsieur Oscar...

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Plot Keywords:

beggar | sewer | limousine driver | photographer | monkey | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

France Germany

Language:

French English Chinese

Release Date:

4 July 2012 (France)

Also Known As:

Sveti motori

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pierre Grise Productions, Théo Films, Pandora Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leos Carax offered the part of Mr. Oscar's love from the past to his own former girlfriend, Juliette Binoche. According to Carax, they finally "did not get along". He then rewrote the part, made it a singing character and cast Kylie Minogue instead.

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Connections

References The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Funeral March (Adagio molto)"
from String Quartet No. 15 in E flat minor (Op. 144)
Written by Dmitri Shostakovich

User Reviews

Alex is back!

Arguably the tandem Carax-Lavant is one of the most remarkable collaborations in European cinema for the last several decades. They've started out together in 1984 with the Godardesque "Boy Meets Girl" through the painfully romantic and impossibly beautiful "Le mauvais sang"(1986) to the spectacularly over-the-top Les amants du Pont-Neuf (1991). Finally, they are back in business! Now they are much more mature, but the youthful energy is still there, in many faces of Lavant's characters. Carax himself appears in the beginning of the film, as a mysterious cinematic demiurge. Towards the end of the film the demiurge turns into... (o'key, no spoilers, but the concluding couple of scenes in the film are a perfect commentary on our human and, well, not quite human nature). That is you have to wait until the end if you want to learn the ultimate truth about yourself and other (un)holy motors.

The film shows what an excellent actor Lavant is, and you can't help but wonder whether the REAL Lavant exists - beyond all these masks and characters. He's not a young romantic loner Alex anymore, a hero of the three previous Carax's collaborations with Lavant (although one of Lavant's fluid characters is accidentally named Alex!). Alex (as Lavant's and Carax's alter ego) grew older but he is still alone, still searching his true (?) identity (is it a Gypsy Beggar woman, a Father, an Assassin, or monsieur Merde?!).

There can be a number of interpretations of this enigmatic film, but acting alone makes the Holy Motors a notable achievement (and yes, Michel Piccoli is here too!).

One commentator wrote here that this film, with its challenging form and confusing message, is what the contemporary cinema is about. In fact, Carax's latest film cannot be more different from today's cinema (both American and European)dominated as it is by plain, unimaginative, and conventional products. Carax still tries to defend/preserve art in the world defined by economic necessity and audiences raised on stupid TV shows and Hollywood crap. True art has always been a protest against mundane vulgarity, and the Holy Motors confirms that Carax is a true artist. The film requires some knowledge of cinema and art in general but can be enjoyed by all those who are ready for ultimate cinematic experience: unnerving, unsettling, and visually overwhelming. The reward is catharsis. And 10-13 dollars spent on the film are well worth it!

Finally, all those who enjoyed the Alex trilogy won't be disappointed this time. Carax is back and he's kicking!